A Cup of Excerpt Tea

Excerpt day!! ^_^ I don’t post excerpts too often, but I’m really excited about what I’m working on and want to share.

Little background information:
“Winter’s Siren” – is a dark magical realism retelling told in two point-of-views. This scene is from Devi’s. She’s been sheltered to the extreme. The setting is in the middle of nowhere Colorado, near-future modern day, in the middle of winter. They’re in a very isolated opera house nestled in the mountains, several miles from civilization. In the story, each opera they put on is sponsored by a benefactor.

Little information about this particular scene:
Andrew is working there as the groundskeeper. Devi has recently found out that the reason he started working there is because he was running from something. Dillion is the benefactor’s son. He’s newly graduated from business school, and he’s there to learn some business crap from his father. Viktor runs the opera house, and he’s also Devi’s father. Fawn, the other POV character is “adopted.”

In this I mention that she (Devi) has “eyes” towards the end of this passage. Before this, there is a line that where I say she squeezes her “eye” shut. That’s not a typo. It makes sense in the story. 😉

Scene:

I fan at my face from under my hair. All this moving around is making me overheat a little. I would love to have my hair pinned back right about now. Andrew had the fire going when I got here. It’s needed to keep the cold at bay, but under my hair it’s too warm. Not to mention my neck is starting to cramp a little from keeping my head down. I must look so ridiculous to him.

“Hey, Andrew.”

“Hmm?” He selects a pack of colored cards and brings them over to a coffee table in the front center of the room.

“Do you miss anyone in particular back in Anaheim?”

“Do I miss anyone?” He dumps the cards out into his palm. “I miss my family sometimes, of course, but I talk to them a couple of times a month, sometimes more.”

“That’s good.” I watch him organize the deck of Uno cards. “Did you, um, have anyone special back there?”

He looks at me, and I quickly dip my head for I had risen it too high without realizing it.

“Uh…no, I didn’t.” And he says nothing else about it. He smiles and gestures for me to sit on the floor across from him.

Crap. He’s still not going to tell me. And like an idiot I feel hurt by it. It’s none of my business. If he doesn’t want to tell me it’s fine.

Except that it isn’t fine. Something pinches behind my heart. Why won’t he open up to me the way he opened up to Fawn? Is there something wrong with me? Other than the obvious? I plop down to the floor.

“That’s surprising,” I say, refusing to let the issue rest. “You seem like a good catch.” Oh my god! What just came out of my mouth? I’m thankful he can’t see my face. It’s even warmer than before. I’m sure I’m red as a beet.

He chuckles. “Thank you. I like to think so, if that doesn’t make me sound too cocky.”

“It really doesn’t.” I squeeze my eye shut. Oh, I wish I could take that back.

He deals out the first round of cards. “I haven’t played this in a while. I think I remember how to play. Call me out on my crap if I try to cheat.”

An isolated opera house nestled in the mountains, several miles from civilization in the middle of winter?? Ooooh – that’s already captured my imagination…
You really nailed the tension! Good one, Krystal!
Cover reveal next week? YAY!!!! Exciting! 🙂